He is one of a number of non-commissioned officers who need to ensure that their wellness, wellbeing and fitness are at such a level that they would be available for any mission. These officers are the backbone of the army and need to be ready at a moment’s notice, making it extra important for them to keep on top of their physical health and fitness, but this can be a hard thing to achieve.
Sgt. Bell was faced with this situation as he tried to help one of the soldiers in his command to improve his run time and to lose some extra weight, too.
At the same time, Bell began to take part in a long-distance swim programme, which was a period of intense preparation for the German Armed Forces Military Proficiency Badge.
He took his soldier along with him, and they went to the pool every day at lunchtime, swimming for the whole of lunchtime and eating their lunch on the way back to their posts. This plan that he devised was intended to take swimmers from being able to swim only a little way to gradually increasing their stamina to the stage of being able to swim for a mile without stopping.
Bell is enthusiastic about the opportunity that exercising in the water offers, as it raises the heart rate without the risk of injury, as the impact when swimming is virtually nonexistent. It takes far less time to burn off the amount of energy that you would when participating in another sport on the land.
The soldier in his command lost over 30 pounds during the time of swimming and is grateful that he trusted Bell’s swimming plan, as well as a diet that Bell devised for him.